Aij

Geography Aij is a small island on the far south of the Archipelago, home to a country of the same name. The island is divided into three geographical areas, the Ring Beach, the Windward Slopes, and the Center Mountain, all of which tend to be renamed every few years. The Ring Beach is a broad crescent that circles around most of the island, and is fairly shallow and very sandy. Most of the inhabitants of Aij live there, in small and densly packed villages, that are organized in tribes, all of which are fairly close to the sea. The Windward Slopes are notable for having almost al the vegetation on Aij, consisting almost entirely of weeds, root vegetables, and short grasses. They are managed by a handful of low ranking tribes, that are mostly farmers and goat herders. Eventually, the Slopes give way to the Center Mountain, a very large mountain that is notable only for Hynij Fortress, which sits atop it. It is both the location of the tribal elders and a permanent location of alchemists, who are attended by a small servant class.

Government The Government of Aij is a fairly small and fairly decentralized government. It is theoretically lead by twelve elders, who are the twelve oldest tribal leaders in Aij. Due to the turnover among the elders, they have a fairly minor effect. Below them are several disparate structures, where individual tribes have a de-facto leader who lives just as the rest of the tribe. The leadership is usually somewhat more formal in the Hill Tribes than in the Beach Tribes, but both are similar in most respects. In addition to this is the administration at the Fortress, in which there is a small hierarchy of alchemists. There is a Lead Alchemist, several alchemists, and numerous students. The alchemists do a mixture of research and teaching, though the exact amount varies. All of them take detailed notes, which the students learn. In addition to this is a system of adjuncts, which operate under the elders, who also have a small administration, though they lack titles.

Economy Aij is a very self sufficient nation in most respects, which mostly has an internal economy with no use of money. The Beach Tribes consist of fairly simple people, who all hunt and fish, killing many seals and fish. They fashion clothing, boats, and huts out of bone and sealskin, and are almost entirely self sufficient on their own. They also trade with the Hill Tribes, who farm and raise goats, with food being the primary trade on both sides, though the Beach Tribes also trade clothing and building materials and the Hill Tribes trade medicinal plants. In addition to this all tribes make gifts to Hynij Fortress, which supplies the servants and alchemists. The Alchemists produce trade goods, which are usually traded with foreign countries, and the luxury goods are distributed among the population, while also supplying the Aij Military, and supplying the Hill Tribes with metal for tools. In small scale foreign trading, foreign money is used, in both trades for simple goods and alchemical products. This has left Aij in a state of stable equilibrium, though their wealth and population slowly grow.